Written by: Jessica DeLeón
September 5, 2024

Scott Berman has been the visual wizard behind two popular Dallas bands, Tripping Daisy and The Polyphonic Spree, beginning with a slideshow presentation in the 1990s and now with a 45-minute movie, Atmosphere, that will debut Sept. 13 at UNT's Sky Theater planetarium.

The movie features live-action and animation set to the songs from Salvage Enterprise, the latest album from the Spree, the 25-piece band known for its unique choral sound and instrumentation. The movie will run through the winter and then expand nationwide.

Since Berman and the Spree have long ties to UNT, it seemed like the perfect spot for the film.

"We wanted to bring it back to our roots," says Berman, who studied art at UNT in the 1990s. "This album was the perfect soundscape for the kind of visual planetarium experience that we've talked about for years and Denton seemed like the perfect place to launch it."

On the Screen

Tim DeLaughter and Scott Berman watch 'Atmosphere' in the UNT Planetarium.
Tim DeLaughter and Scott Berman watch "Atmosphere" at UNT's Sky Theater planetarium.

Back in the 1990s, Tripping Daisy was about to make its debut at Club Dada in Dallas.  Berman spent $13 for a slide projector for the band's gig.

The band's lead singer, Tim DeLaughter, found slides that had been sitting on the side of the road and were damaged by the sun. The band -- which included Wes Berggren and Mark Pirro ('93), who were West Hall roommates in the 1990s -- eventually amassed a cult following and progressed to using 70 projectors at performances like Edgefest.

Tripping Daisy ended after Berggren's death, and The Polyphonic Spree was formed. The team of Berman and DeLaughter, who have been best friends since they were in 7th grade in Dallas, continued their partnership. The Spree, which includes many UNT alumni, has delivered eight albums and performed around the world and on numerous TV and movie soundtracks.

When DeLaughter and Berman were talking about innovative ideas for Salvage Enterprise, they felt like the timing was right to do an immersive planetarium film that they had talked about back in the Tripping Daisy days.

Now that it's a reality, "It's really mind blowing," says Berman. "We sit in the planetarium every week and review the progress of the film and you're completely immersed in the visuals and music. It's amazing. There's just nothing like it."

Billy Rodgers, who attended UNT as a business student from 1990 to 1995 and now runs marketing for Atmosphere, compares the planetarium show to the Sphere arena in Las Vegas, although the Atmosphere music won't be live.

"This really brings a similar type of experience here, to where people don't have to jump on a plane and go to Vegas in order to experience something like this," Rodgers says.

Collective Experience

For Salvage Enterprise, DeLaughter created pop-up listening experiences for the band's music that he promoted on Instagram. He went to the beach, set up speakers and built a campfire.

DeLaughter drew from the listening experiences. The movie starts with eight people at a campfire listening to music and delves through what's going on in each of their minds.

"It's about people having empathy for others and understanding that each of us are going through our own sets of issues, and what life would be like if we all recognized that," Berman says.

Berman added DeLaughter is writing the best music of his life. Salvage Enterprise combines the styles of Tripping Daisy and The Polyphonic Spree.

Berman's vision was to bring different filmmakers from around the world -- who have worked on Oscar- and Emmy-winning projects -- to create a visual piece for each song.

"As you go into the minds of each of these people, the different artistic style almost looks as though it's matching the personality of the person," Rodgers says. "But they're all woven together to tell this story."

Berman adds that it's equal parts visual spectacle and emotional storytelling.

"We want the audience to come out of there, and feel hopeful and feel a connection with the people that they experienced this with, like you do when you see a Polyphonic Spree show. There's this collective experience that makes you feel like you're a part of something."